Jaguars put latest trip in business class

The Jaguars are stressing they're making a business trip to San Francisco for Sunday's game. "There shouldn't be any tomfoolery going on," quarterback David Garrard said. "It's a business trip. We're going to hope to be a whole lot better this time around," coach Jack Del Rio said. He was referring to the team's first West Coast trip this season, to Seattle, a trip that went awry before the game started. Defensive end Quentin Groves was in an auto accident driving to the airport and missed the team flight. He had to take a commercial fight to Seattle. The next misstep came when wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker was deactivated for the game after he missed curfew Friday night. The Jaguars then went out and lost 41-0 to the Seahawks to fall to 2-3. The Jaguars have since won four out of five games to raise their record to 6-4 and put themselves in control of their destiny in the AFC wild-card playoff chase. And now they get a second chance to show they can win on the West Coast. Del Rio is sticking to the same game plan he used for the Seattle trip, and the team is flying out Friday so the players have more time to adjust to the time change. The Jaguars don't have a lot of experience playing on the West Coast. Before the Seattle game, the Jaguars hadn't played out there since 2004, when they lost to San Diego and beat Oakland. Traveling to the West Coast can be a challenge, but Del Rio doesn't want to use the trip as an excuse. "I don't remember Joe Montana having many problems traveling when they went to Atlanta or New Orleans or wherever they were playing coming from San Francisco. I think the better teams travel and play, and we've got to find a way to be better on the road," Del Rio said. The Jaguars are 2-3 on the road this season, compared to a 4-1 record at home. Their road record might be one reason they're three-point underdogs against the 4-6 49ers. "We picked it up and won our last road game [against the New York Jets], but prior to that, we had not been very consistent," Del Rio said. The other two road games left this season are at New England and Cleveland. Del Rio said it's frustrating to put all the work in preparing for the game and then to have a negative experience. "We sacrifice so much to have these opportunities, these regular-season ballgames, with the promise that if you win enough of them, you can have more [in the playoffs]. And so much goes into it. ... It's truly an honor to be able to play and coach in this league," he said. Garrard said, "I think we can learn from past mistakes." Groves, who said he was fined about $7,500, jokingly said he was getting a driver to take him to the airport. Getting to the plane early is one thing Del Rio talked to the team about. "He just talked about traveling better, making sure we get to the airplane with plenty of time, not trying to rush," Garrard said. "Because it was our first time doing it - a trip like that [on a Friday] - we didn't know what to expect. Overall, everybody has to make sure they're in their rooms and that kind of stuff." The Jaguars also have to play much better than they did in Seattle. The Jaguars might be helped by the fact that they've won three games in a row and pulled out the last two on the final drive. It's against an NFC opponent, and it won't have an impact on the AFC tiebreakers, but the stakes are high. The Jaguars probably need 10 wins to get into the playoffs, so each defeat cuts down the margin for error. "To stay in the hunt, you've got to continue to win. We've got to stack some wins up. You've got to find a way to win. And that's what this game is right now for us," Del Rio said. vito.stellino@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4279 Jaguars AT 49ers When: 4:05 p.m. Sunday. Where: Candlestick Park, San Francisco. TV/Radio: CBS/WOKV (690 AM, 106.5 FM).